BOX SCORE
(ST. CHARLES, Mo., Nov. 6)—The McKendree University men's basketball team notched its first victory of the 2010-11 season Saturday night with a 95-79 victory over Lindenwood University-Belleville at the Texas Roadhouse Classic in St. Charles, Mo. The two-day event was hosted by Lindenwood University.
Senior forward Eric Hobbie (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia) (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia) netted 19 of his game-high 25 points in the second half, while senior forward Brad Copelin (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon) (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon) posted a double-double with 22 points and a game-high 10 rebounds as the Bearcats evened their season record at 1-1. Junior forward Sean Rakers (New Baden, IL/Wesclin) (New Baden, Ill./Wesclin) added 19 points and eight rebounds, and sophomore guard John Steppe (Effingham, IL/St. Anthony) (Effingham, Ill./St. Anthony) registered 10 points for McKendree, the No. 8-ranked team in the NAIA Division I pre-season poll.
McKendree broke open a close game by shooting 73.9 percent from the field in the second half. The Bearcats missed just six of their 23 shots from the floor in the final 20 minutes of play. McKendree was 4-of-5 from three-point range in the half and made 12 of its 15 attempts from the foul line.
Lindenwood-Belleville (1-2) led on two different occasions in the first half, the last coming at 23-21 on a layup by Devon Weaver with 8:15 left in the first half. McKendree responded by scoring the next eight points to grab the lead for good at 29-23. Copelin scored five points during the burst for the Bearcats, including a free throw that capped the run at the 6:45 mark.
McKendree eventually stretched its lead to as many as 13 points before taking at 45-35 lead at the half. The Lynx made several runs at the Bearcats in the second half, but McKendree was able to maintain a double-digit lead and pull away late in the contest.
Senior guard Andy Wolff (Centralia, Ill./Metro-East Lutheran) (Centralia, Ill./Metro-East Lutheran), who had a career-high 12 rebounds in the Bearcats' 81-79 loss to Lindenwood University on Friday, dished out a career-best 11 assists against Lindenwood-Belleville. Rakers also added a game-high five blocked shots for the Bearcats.
Weaver led Lindenwood-Belleville with 22 points while Dorel Sutherland added 14 points. Former Bearcat RaShad May (Florissant, Mo./Hazelwood Central) chipped in with 12 points and team-highs with nine rebounds and five assists.
McKendree will make its home debut on Wednesday in a non-conference game against Saint Ambrose University. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Melvin Price Convocation Center.
